1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an arrangement for clamping and balancing pressing tool carriers and crank housing of an upsetting press for the width reduction of rolled material, particularly for reducing the width of slabs in hot-rolled wide strip breaking-down trains with tool carriers which receive on both sides of the slab edges pressing tools which are movable in the direction of the slab reduction by means of a crank drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a flying upsetting press according to German patent application P 39 17 398.4, for reducing the width of slabs in a hot-rolled wide strip breaking-down train, pressing tools are arranged on both sides of the slab edges, wherein the pressing tools ar mounted in tool carriers. For forming a reduction drive, each pressing tool is moved together with the corresponding tool carrier in the direction of the width reduction of the slab by means of a lever system actuated by a crank drive, wherein the crank drive is arranged in a crank housing. The crank drive is composed of two driven eccentric shafts, wherein a connecting member is mounted on each eccentric shaft, and wherein the head of the connecting member is connected to the tool carrier for transmitting the upsetting forces. A feed drive operating essentially in slab feeding direction acts on the tool carrier.
The features described above make it possible to separately control the sequence of movement of the pressing tools for the pressing action for reducing the slabs and for the feeding movement of the pressing tools, so that for any chosen feeding distance, a synchronization of the movement of the pressing tools with the movement of the slab to be pressed laterally is insured. This upsetting press makes possible the continuous reduction of the width of the slab to values predetermined by rolling technology. The sliding bearing between connecting member head and tool carrier and the roller bearings of the eccentric shafts are subjected to high loads and must be constructed as much as possible without mechanical play because of the superimposed reduction and feeding movements of the pressing tools and because of the high pressing forces.
European patent application EP-A-0 224 333 discloses a press for reducing the width of hot slabs in which the tool carrier receiving the pressing tool is moved by a crank drive on both sides against the slab edges. The tool carrier is supported by two parallel struts which are rotatably guided by means of a thread in a transverse member. The struts are rotated by means of a motor through a worm gearing arranged on the outside. The transverse member is connected to an eccentric shaft by means of two connecting members. This construction has the purpose to adjust the distance of the pressing tools from the edges of slabs having different widths without replacing the crank drive composed of eccentric shaft and connecting member. No measures are provided for avoiding the mechanical play occurring in the threaded guiding means or in the bearings of the eccentric shaft. Also, structural features for balancing the pressing forces are not provided.